Futility Dance
by Misura
Summary: Tetheus watches a reunion between Rath and Kai-stern. [shounen-ai hints]


Futility dance

x

Warnings/notes: Kai-stern/Tetheus (semi-established), strong hints at Kai-stern/Rath, ooc, shortie, slightly AT/AU?

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Knights. 'The Futility Dance' is the title of an episode of the anime 'The Hakkenden', which is very serious, angsty and depressive.

(!) Refers to a scene occurring in vol. 3 of the manga.

written at 17th february 2005, by Misura, for the livejournalcommunity 30kisses (theme: our distance and that person)

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Nothing has changed.

Tetheus tells himself he hadn't expected anything else, that one conversation can never suffice to bring about a change in a bond that has existed for nearly a fifth of a century.

He also tells himself that he hadn't -hoped- for anything else -not even for a moment. Why, the thought that he might actually feel the tiniest bit jealous of the ease with which Rath jumps at Kai-stern to hug him, as if it's the most natural thing in the world to do, is positively ridiculous.

As he continues to watch, unobserved -as he seems to be so often, perhaps more often than he'd like- Rune bends over to Thatz, who seems rather freaked out, to say the least (his facial expression might have sparked a little amusement in Tetheus under other circumstances), probably to explain that no, there's nothing untowards going on between Rath and the Blue Dragon-officer.

And no, in spite of the way it looks, with Rath brushing his lips past Kai-stern's cheek, Thatz has not just seen a kiss. People don't kiss in public, after all, unless they have been recently married or something like that, at least in Rune's perfectly-mannered ideal world.

Tetheus can imagine the conversations going on in the court below him well, even if his ears aren't sensitive enough to hear all of the words that are spoken. Some actions speak louder than words, anyway, and most of the time, they're much easier to understand and more straightforward as well.

Ruwalk's arrival has spared him the need to go back to the library to explain why they won't be able to count on Kai-stern spending his last few hours sharing his wisdom with them -not, Alfeegi would say, that Kai-stern possesses much worth sharing, but, Alfeegi would grudgingly admit, Kai-stern's travels has made him much better informed about the situation outside of Draqueen than any other of them.

He can just keep standing here, on a balcony that's been built in just such a way that it allows a person to observe without being seen in return -probably designed with a last-ditch defense-effort in mind, for when the enemy has already breached the gates- and nobody will ever be the wiser. Although, he supposes that he could yell some kind of greeting, to let them know he's there.

In the end, Tetheus doesn't, of course. Drawing attention to himself is just not something he does very often, or very well. Besides, there's no reason why he should; it's obvious that nobody's waiting for him to make his presence known. They're all perfectly happy without him.

x

Nobody, Tetheus thinks, is very surprised when Kai-stern announces that he'll postpone his departure to the next day, though some people are more obvious about it than others.

He lies awake until well after midnight, thinking about several matters -which ones, exactly, he can't recall in the morning, but he's sure the hours spent contemplating them have not been wasted. The door to Kai-stern's room opens once, about two hours before dawn, and is closed again after perhaps five minutes have passed.

Tetheus deducts that Kai-stern has already packed his bags in advance, which is hardly strange. Kai-stern has always been intelligent and smart enough to avoid having to do anything in a rush, either because he is lazy, as Alfeegi mutters, or because he is like Tetheus himself in this, as Tetheus would like to believe. (The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, as it always does in such things.)

At breakfast, three hours after the sun has risen, Rath looks a little grumpy, while Ruwalk remarks on Kai-stern's absence. Tetheus says nothing on the subject, which goes unnoticed, as it should.

Nothing has changed after all. Kai-stern has gone on another trip -his dozenth this year- and he hasn't come to say goodbye to Tetheus, or to anyone else, but that's just the same way it's always been.

Nothing has changed.

And yet everything's different.

OWARI


End file.
